


Arguments

by lilsmartass



Category: Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Arguments, Five And One, Friendship, Humour, M/M, minor (very slight) mention of child abuse, preslash to relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-07
Updated: 2012-10-07
Packaged: 2017-11-15 19:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/530999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilsmartass/pseuds/lilsmartass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Tony and Steve disagreed and one time they agreed perfectly</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arguments

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Споры](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8307436) by [faikit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/faikit/pseuds/faikit)



> Rating: PG-13
> 
> Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine.
> 
> Warning/Spoilers: Know who all the characters are? Good to go. Steve/Tony
> 
> Genre: humour mostly, some angst sections, but it’s a five and one and everything ends well.

**Arguments**

 

****

** One **

 “I can’t _believe_ you prefer Captain Picard! The man couldn’t Captain his way out of a paper bag. He does everything by committee.”

“At least his knee jerk reaction isn’t kill them all.”

“He’s not even _American_ , I thought that would be a deal breaker for you.”

Tony is obviously getting frustrated, but the real surprise is Steve’s voice which is also tensing with anger, which, more than anything tells the rest of the Avengers listening to the bickering voices come closer, just how long this argument has been raging, “One, I’ve never cared about things like that and two, Kirk is a reckless, arrogant idiot, with no respect for the chain of command, and he breaks the Prime Directive in _every episode_.

Tony gives a theatrical groan, “God Rogers I can’t believe I go to the trouble of showing you some classic television, and you prefer _Picard_. I suppose I shouldn’t really be surprised though, trust you to prefer the boring Captain. And Kirk doesn’t ignore the rules that often, that’s a popular misconception, bet you got it from Clint.”

On the sofa, Clint tenses slightly, he has no desire to get drawn into a Tony and Steve row, those two can argue about anything, but fortunately the voices drift past the kitchen on the way to the giant rec room with the home cinema system and a few minutes later the Voyager theme fills the air. “Well,” says Bruce, getting up to shut the door to block out the obnoxiously loud sound, “At least they’ll have to agree that everyone is better than Janeway.”

 

** Two **

“I’m an adult Rogers,” Tony snaps, blinking away the tired feeling that is making his eyes feel gritty, “You can’t actually make me go to bed.”

Steve takes a long suffering sigh and, with the ease of long practice, ignores the red rimmed death glare Tony is shooting at him. “You need to sleep Tony. People need to do that.”

Tony thinks he might have pulled a muscle from straining not to yawn, but damned if he will give Steve the satisfaction. “Says you. You sleep for four hours every other night. Maybe.”

“Not to brag Tony, but I have a super soldier metabolism. I’m getting my optimum amount of sleep, it’s not my fault that my optimum amount of sleep is less than yours.”

Tony resists the urge to stick his tongue out and repeat Steve’s words in a squeaky voice. Not because he considers himself too mature for such actions, but because he has a sneaking suspicion that doing so will only prove Steve’s point. “Fine, fine. Just let me finish up with this OK.”

Steve looks hard at him, but Tony looks back guilelessly, masking the urge to blink and glance away with the jaw cracking yawn that has been bubbling in his throat for the past few minutes. “Fine.  But if you’re not upstairs in an hour Tony, I’m coming back down and I’m going to drag you to bed.”

Tony gives an annoying lascivious smile, “Promises, promises Captain.” Steve huffs, turns on his heel and leaves. Tony gives him a few moments to be out of earshot. “JARVIS?”

“Yes Sir?”

“Lock the door, no one is allowed in, no matter what emergency codes they have.” That will show Steve. He is fine without sleep for another day.

 

** Three **

“Sorry? Am I still speaking English? You need to get it seen to.”

Steve waves him off and rolls up to one knee. His face goes a nasty shade of white and he stills, arm clenched across his stomach where Tony can see strips of charred flesh beneath the shredded fragments of his uniform. He coughs weakly and makes a soft noise. “I’m fine.”

“You’re...you do realise you’d be raging if I told you I was fine while I was actually _holding my stomach together with my bare hands_.”

“I’m not holding my stomach together.”

Tony takes a deep steadying breath. “OK fine, you want a hand?” Taking another shallow breath that strove not to expand his diaphragm too much and stretch the painfully lacerated and burned skin, Steve takes hold of the outstretched hand and uses it to begin the slow process of levering himself painfully to his feet. Abruptly, Tony lets go of him and he stumbles, hands rushing to grasp at his stomach and ribs as a pained cry jolts out of him. Suddenly there are surprisingly gentle hands steadying him under his elbows. “Sorry, sorry Cap. I didn’t realise...Ok yeah, I did, I was just proving a point. Will you please go and talk to the paramedics now.”

Steve wants to shake his head and refuse, but pain is lancing like fire along his side, stealing the breath from his chest and reminding him uncomfortably of the asthma attacks he used to have as a child and he can barely support his own weight. All he can do is cling blindly to Tony, helpless to stop Tony dragging him across to the ambulance.  

 

** Four **

“I thought we had a plan Stark?”

Tony raises the insolent eyebrow he usually saves for Fury, smirking despite the flash of hurt that races through him at Steve’s cold tone and the fact that it’s been almost a year since the super soldier called him Stark. “Which plan was that? The let New York be destroyed because we hadn’t anticipated the second wave of Doombots plan? Or the let that blaster hit the school bus because saving those kids meant breaking formation plan?”

“No one is saying you didn’t save people Tony, but the plan was-”

“You know what _Captain_? Screw you and your plans. I’m not a soldier, I have never been a soldier, I don’t have to follow your orders when I know they’re _bullshit_.”

“Clint almost died because you weren’t where you were supposed to be!”

There is a beat of silence so intense it feels like a punch. Tony’s lips compress until they’re white, a stark comparison to the angry flush of Steve’s face. “I’m not a soldier,” he repeats again, mutinously, before turning and walking out of the room.  

 

** Five **

Steve’s been quiet for so long that when Tony glances up from the piece of armour he’s fiddling with to see him still sitting, still watching him intently, it comes as a bit of a surprise. He takes a moment to just look at him, the intense gaze of his eyes riveted between the armour and the holographic representation of the upgrades that he’s using as a schematic, the furrow on his brow as he concentrates, the way his teeth are sinking into his bottom lip. Tony makes sure there is no sign of the soft expression on his face before he speaks, drawing Steve’s attention sharply to him. “I thought you’d gone.”

“No...no just comparing.”

Tony’s eyes flutter between the exposed circuitry in the arm he’s working on and the blue hologram, “You can see the differences?” he says, surprised and a little awed, “No one ever told me the serum had enhanced your sight to that degree.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant you and Howard. I used to watch him too.” Tony tenses, he _hates_ being compared to his father, though he does his best to keep a lid on the pain filled bile that spews out of his mouth whenever he talks or even thinks about him for Steve’s sake. He knows Steve was friends with the man and he knows – hell, how could he _not_ know – that Howard had regarded him the same way. Steve doesn’t notice. “You stand differently, and he was always playing with his hair or twirling a pencil. He worked from proper draftsman schematics too not-”

“This is state of the art,” says Tony defensively, and he knows he sounds pompous but he can’t help it.

“I didn’t mean...”

“And this is a ‘proper’ schematic, it’s just a holographic one, because I care about saving trees and don’t feel the need to cut down a rainforest every time I want to design something.”

“That’s not fair,” Steve defends instantly, cheeks colouring, “This technology didn’t exist back then. Howard was always talking about making the world a better place. He founded any number of conservation programmes, I know that he met your mother at a Charity Benefit ball, so stop acting like he killed babies and ate endangered species for breakfast.”

There is no more certain way to rile Tony than to defend Howard. Tony can feel his own cheeks colouring. He can’t even hear the poison he knows is spewing from his mouth, but he knows it’s coming. He can feel his voice getting higher and cracking and he can feel himself compensating by getting louder and faster, gesticulating wildly. He sees Steve stand, and knows he’s going to come towards him, _I’m sorry, I didn’t know_ and Steve will look at him like he’s something to be pitied and hold him like he’s fragile and broken. He can’t take that right now. He can’t. “Get out,” he snaps hoarsely. “Just get out.”

Steve hesitates, but leaves.

 

** And the One Time They Agreed... **

Sated and sweating, Tony curls comfortably against Steve’s body. He purrs as Steve’s arm comes up to wrap around him, stroking idly at his shoulder blades. He shuts his eyes and waits. Here, in the dark like this, the planes of his face lit only by Tony’s ARC reactor, in the aftermath of a battle or the rare opportunity to enjoy one another in peace, is when Steve always confesses his true feelings. And it embarrasses Tony to admit to it, even to think it, but it helps him sleep easier to hear it too. Not that he ever reciprocates, Steve knows, knows from the thousands of tiny actions Tony takes every day, but he never says it. He doesn’t know how.

Today however, neither does Steve. He rolls as always, facing Tony and cradling him close before placing a soft, chaste kiss at the side of his mouth. “You love me," he says, teasing and gentle, voice filled with warmth.

Tony almost pouts at the change of script, but he can’t deny Steve this, “Yeah,” he says, nestling closer, “I do.” 


End file.
